Visual field changes following acute elevation of intraocular pressure.

Visual field, acuity, and optic nerve head were evaluated in 24 patients with transient but marked elevations in intraocular pressure. The patient population consisted of 16 patients with angle-closure glaucoma and 7 with high tensions following cataract surgery. In all cases, duration and extent of pressure elevation is documented as well as subsequent visual field, acuity, and fundus examinations. In selected cases, visual field determinations were made during the acute pressure elevation. Previous reports of patients with acute pressure elevation are reviewed. The general absence of glaucomatous field defects in this patient population is discussed with respect to the possible pathogenesis of field loss seen in chronic simple glaucoma.